My experience with The Start Something Challenge

Wow! I haven't written a blog post in forever! Truth be told I don't always like writing...

I wanted to share my feelings on my experience with the Rising Tide Capital's START SOMETHING CHALLENGE that I participated in July. The Start Something Challenge is a state-wide business pitch competition for New Jersey entrepreneurs, the Challenge encourages small-business owners to expand their market through social-media, network with fellow entrepreneurs, and craft the perfect elevator pitch. Entrants compete for cash awards, technology in the form of iPads, and expert feedback from small business professionals. The grand prize is a $10,000 business grant.

Overall I enjoyed the experience. It really just enhanced the tools I was already using, ie social media and video marketing. The area in which I really had to stretch was being persistent with reaching out to people to help me. To my surprise, everyone was super supportive. Including complete strangers!

I was completely occupied with making sure I was sharing my video and posts and messaging people. I pushed and pushed, felt like I was harassing people! lol But you know, it all worked out!

So, of 109 contestant entries, I made the top 30 semi-finalists list and then the top 10 finalists! For sure you know I was working to winning the top prize of $10,000. I felt that I had a good chance. My service/product is excellent, I am passionate about what I do. Just making it to the level I did was proof enough.

I definitely had some challenges during the contest. I dropped my phone and cracked the screen in the middle of the week where I had to get people to vote on the Start Something Challenge website. I was mid-text and BOOM! my phone was a goner!

I literally cried. For 2 days, I couldn't use my phone to remind people and ask people to vote. Luckily for me, I had a die hard squad posting and sharing for me when I was away from my computer! And I was able to use my Hootsuite to schedule my posts.

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So for the finale, I was to present in front of judges and a live audience my informational business pitch. I had 5 minutes to communicate 7 points of information. I think I did ok!

I practiced and practiced. I was proud of my little speech! lol I felt like I did well.

Now here at the end of it all, I am proud of myself for trying and I would definitely try again next year... I got really far my first time around, I feel confident to try again.

Thanks to everyone who helped me and encouraged me along the way. I appreciate it

hi, I'm Vernesa!

I'm an up and coming photographer specializing in the Boudoir and Glamour genre, however I am still much connected to my retail/customer service roots from working years in retail stores in the Mall at Short Hills, NJ.

As one of four daughters, I attended an all-girls high school, am a member of a Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc and now a mother of four daughters. There is no doubt that I was bound to be in some sort of career that catered and met the needs and wants of who I had the most experience with...Women! I was raised with and adopted feminist points of views. Although she is happily married, she still holds firm in believing that women deserve the right to obtain all the perks men do-and then some.

Im an advocate for self-love, self-esteem and healthy body image issues which is why I decided to pursue a career in Boudoir photography. My skills are mostly self taught but my passion and vision are innate and I thrive to learn and grow to help women everywhere love their bodies and most importantly love what and who they are.

One little known fact about me is that I L-O-V-E lingerie! Which began in college at my first retail job at Victoria's Secret. I look at fashion, makeup, boudoir, lingerie, etc the way Dita Von Teese explains, "Its not about seducing men, its about embrassing womanhood." I have found a perfect marriage of talent and passion in Boudoir!

Imagine on the morning of your wedding day, your Groom preparing to get dressed. The groomsmen are all boasting about the events of an epic bachelor party the night before. They had good times -- this one is going in the archives! One of the guys is still jokingly offering him the option to change his mind. Suddenly, there's a knock at the door; it's a package, for your groom sent by you of course. On the label he reads, "For your eyes only 💕".